Director: Jordan Peele
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun
Year: 2022
Jordan Peele has directed three movies: Get Out, Us, and Nope. Get Out was an incredible, awe-striking film, a real game-changer; Us was awful. Now he’s back with a more-standard horror film, almost a complete throwback to Signs, but with a flair that we’ve come to expect and a talent that’s one-of-a-kind. I am happy to report that Peele has relocated his groove, sliding audiences right back to semi-horrifying, semi-hilarious sci-fi that’s both scary & fun to watch. And Nope isn’t just good genre material, it’s good overall, and can stand among the best of the year.
The Haywood family, of Haywood’s Hollywood Horses, are handlers that work with studios when they need equine assistance, which is a nice way to make a living, especially if you love working with these beautiful animals. After their father dies, OJ & Em are left slightly adrift, and they start to sell their steeds to a local Western amusement park owner; he seems to always need new horseflesh. And things only get stranger when OJ sees what looks like a flying saucer one night, accompanied by skittish animals and power outages. Determined to catch the phenomenon on tape, the sibling pair hatch a daring plan …which may just be plain dumb.
Definitely more than meets the eye here, as Peele delivers us a horror story, an alien flick, but adds in so many layers that you’re left to wonder what questions did *not* get answered, and which details were held back. It’s a cool story, a fun ride, it’s funny & curious & a little scary, while always feeling like half a throwback and half a modern think piece; Peele keeps us on our toes. Kaluuya is back, which is great, but Palmer messes things way up; she’s *not* a very good actor. Especially at the end, when her character takes over, for absolutely no reason, and almost ruins what had been building so nicely up to that point. But, no matter; the film is fine regardless, and awesome enough to survive a speed bump. Watch for immediate intrigue, stay for the burning questions that linger.
My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆